Design New England - March/April 2009

from the publisher

to celebrate our third year of serving the design and building community, Design New England hosted a gathering of industry professionals at the newly opened Fairmont Battery Wharf hotel on Boston’s waterfront. Not only were our guests introduced to the extraordinary hospitality this hotelier is bringing to the city, but Otis & Ahearn, the real estate brokers for the Residences at Battery Wharf, opened the spectacular model condominium units, designed by Boston firm Gau-thier Stacy, for tours.

The gathering was a great way to toast New England’s talented design community and to share our hopes for the future. Even as we face this challenging economic phase, there is encouraging news: According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, new construction in New England is actually on the rise. In addition, the region’s industry associations are some of the strongest in the country, and they are taking steps to drive the residential design/build sector in a positive direction.

“We hope to accomplish a great deal for our members,” says Philip Bates, principal of The Classic Group, a design-build company in Lexington, Massachusetts, and president of the Eastern Massachusetts National Association of the Remodeling Industry. “I know firsthand the importance of this organization to our industry, particularly in this unsettled economy.”

We are also looking forward to upcoming events such as the Traditional Building Exhibition and Conference (March 12 and 14 at the Hynes Convention Center), the Residential Design and Construction show (April 1 and 2 at the Seaport World Trade Center), and AD20/21: Art & Design of the 20th & 21st Centuries (March 26-29 at the Cyclorama at The Boston Center for the Arts), which features fine art, furniture, glass, ceramics, decorative art, sculpture, and jewelry.

Most important, we celebrate the arrival of spring by remembering our most treasured values — life, health, family, community, and, of course, home.

stephen twombly, publisher

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design new england event at fairmont battery wharf: 1] Jason Kisell of Boston Globe Media and Kevin Ahearn of Otis & Ahearn; 2] Joanne DiFrancesco of JD Communications, Yvonne Lauziere of Lauziere Design, and Holly Markham of European Home; 3] DNE staff: Jill Connors, Kelly Schetzsle, Jenna Talbott, Steve Twombly, Molly Jane Quinn, and Gail Ravgiala; 4] Suzanne King and Lauren Nafella of Galerie d’Orsay; 5] DNE contributor Estelle Bond Guralnick, Gerald Pomeroy and Rebecca Carolina of Gerald Pomeroy Design Group; 6] The scene at Fairmont Battery Wharf; 7] DNE writer Jennifer Blecher, Emily Golan, and photographer Lynne Damianos; 8] photographers Charles Mayer and Josh Campbell.